Imagine you are a motorcycle manufacturer and need some publicity. What is the best way to make a splash? Racing is the traditional route to make some noise, but comes with the risk of being beaten (sometimes badly) by the very competition you wish to minimalize in the market. One make race series are a…
The Laverda 750S Formula was a massive gamble to revive a long a storied (but sinking) brand. This excerpt from an earlier post on a similar bike is being utilized by the seller of today’s find in the advert – but only partially. In the spirit of completeness (and to be lazy), I reprint it…
While an Italian cafe racer from the mid-1970s is somewhat outside of the usual focus of RSBFS, one look at this surviving hot rod told us that it belongs here. And after diving in a bit deeper, we are sure our readers will too. This is an awesome timepiece of a rare model that is…
The original Benelli triple in the Tornado displaced 898cc and couldn’t really compete head-to-head against the other comparable superbikes of the era. It was a good bike, with sound engineering and a quirky layout that located the radiators and fans in the tail of the bike. But it wasn’t quite good enough and, when WSBK…
We tend to think (often and fondly) of Laverda building big bikes. With triples. The Jota, the RGS and the Mirage, for example. But before those, Laverda created smaller bikes too, such as the 500cc parallel twin. And in the hit-and-miss world of European bikes in the 1970s, the Laverda 500 – while extremely competent…
When you think “high speed touring” the usual suspects usually begin with BMW and then taper off quickly towards some muted, former sportbike, Japanese road missile (think Connie or otherwise). All good choices, to be sure. But if I challenged you to narrow your answer to cover the 1970s and 1980s, what would you say?…
In 1974, the Laverda SF2 was roughly equivalent to an R1M, though at the time, twin disc brakes sufficed for high technology. Over-engineered and powerful, the bike in its day was as fast as it was premium. They aren’t easy to find in any condition, let alone fully restored. 1974 Laverda SF2 for sale on…
Update 4.23.2018: We’ve updated most of the listings below with their sale prices, and estimates from Bonhams were very close in most cases. Their showcase pieces did very well also. From Bonhams: Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale took place this weekend (21 and 22 April) at the International Classic MotorCycle Show and saw an incredible 92%…
